Jaina swept her gaze across the room. The IPC members remained relatively calm, though Aventurine's eyes were darting around, clearly scheming. Black Swan stood off to the side, leisurely swirling her wine, completely detached. Sunday had already gotten up and returned to his room.
Only the Astral Express crew were radiating thick black mist.
"…Looks like I've really offended them."
The note Acheron had given her earlier pointed directly at the Astral Express, and now Welt was gone because of it. Jaina knew they would definitely come after her. Still, she wasn't too worried—violence wasn't allowed in the lobby.
Even if they tried something, Acheron could protect her.
Just as she was planning how to make use of them, a gray-haired girl walked up to her.
"Can I help you, miss?"
Jaina tensed immediately. This gray-haired one didn't look like trouble—she was trouble.
Stelle pulled out a baseball bat, twirled it a few times, then said, "I want to play baseball. I'm missing a pitcher. How about you?"
Jaina's lips twitched. So this was their move.
"…I still have work to do."
The rules had already warned her—the gray-haired girl would make unreasonable demands. She hadn't expected it to be something like playing baseball in the lobby.
Jaina refused. The black mist around Stelle thickened as she turned to look at March 7th.
"Sounds fun! I'll be the referee!"
March 7th immediately joined in, clearly pushing Jaina to play.
Seeing her in that little skirt, Jaina almost wanted to strangle the pink-haired girl.
She couldn't refuse requests from guests wearing skirts.
Reluctantly, she stepped out from behind the counter and walked to an open area.
"Here."
Stelle handed her a baseball, then walked to a distance, planting the bat on the ground.
"You can pitch now."
Feeling the weight of the ball, Jaina's heart sank. If that thing came flying back at her, she'd be dead.
"I'll let you hit."
Suddenly, Jaina stepped forward and threw the ball with all her strength.
Unfortunately, her current body was too weak.
Clang!
With a sharp metallic sound, the bat swung. The ball shot straight back at her face.
"…As expected."
Watching the ball rush toward her, Jaina didn't even attempt to dodge.
Smack.
At the critical moment, Acheron appeared and caught the ball effortlessly.
"Alright, you've had your fun. I'll get back to work."
Jaina nodded at Acheron and turned to leave. Trying to set her up, huh? Fine—she'd figure out a way to get them all expelled.
"Wait, one more round." March 7th spoke again, pointing at Acheron. "Let Miss Acheron be the catcher this time."
Now that was a problem.
It was obvious—they were trying to kill her.
March 7th wore a skirt, so Jaina couldn't refuse. But if Acheron became the catcher, who would protect her?
"…Should I just kill them?"
Acheron frowned. Everyone here was targeting Jaina. If this continued, the situation would never return to normal.
She began considering whether to eliminate everyone here. Even if she got expelled afterward, Jaina would be safe.
"Don't act rashly. I have a plan."
Jaina quickly stopped her. She didn't know Acheron's full strength, but one thought filled her mind—was this woman insane? There were so many people. Could she really handle them all?
"…Fine."
Since Jaina said she had a plan, Acheron decided to wait.
Inside the livestream.
[Jing Yuan: Hypothetically… if Miss Acheron killed all the infected, would Miss Jaina clear the stage easily?]
[Fu Xuan: Probably not.]
[Herta: That would be way too easy.]
[Welt: I actually think it's possible.]
[Ningguang: The game wouldn't leave such an obvious loophole, would it?]
[Venti: Ehe~ why not try it? Nothing to lose.]
[March 7th: What do you mean nothing to lose?! I'm the one getting killed here! Have some sympathy!]
[Silver Wolf: Look at what you've been doing—you're basically asking for it.]
[Stelle: Exactly. March 7th is way too annoying.]
[March 7th: You're in no position to say that.]
[Anby: Without Acheron's protection, this situation is a dead end. Seems Jaina isn't the protagonist.]
[Billy: This is when you call upon the Starlight Knight for help.]
[Valerius: No Starlight Knight, but there is a Knight of Beauty.]
[Feixiao: !!!]
[Hu Tao: Keyword detected! Knight of Beauty!]
[Argenti: …What do you all mean?]
He didn't understand why everyone reacted so strongly when his name came up.
[Tingyun: Mr. Argenti, it seems you're about to make an appearance.]
[Zhu Yuan: As much as I hate to admit it… Jaina will definitely do it.]
Back inside the space.
Everyone took their positions. Jaina stood at a distance, facing Stelle with the bat. Behind her stood Acheron, ready to catch.
Jaina raised her arm and gently tossed the ball upward. It arced slowly toward Stelle.
"Heh… die!"
Stelle gripped the bat tightly, twisting her body as she swung with force.
"I admit Idrila's beauty is unparalleled—Argenti, save me!"
At the critical moment, Jaina shouted.
Whoosh!
In that instant, a red figure flashed forward, spreading his arms wide to shield her.
Crack!
The ball slammed into Argenti's back. The sound of bones breaking echoed through the hall.
"Beauty… eternal!"
Black mist spilled from his mouth, yet he stood tall.
"…Beauty eternal."
Hearing Jaina echo his words, Argenti felt satisfied. That hit was worth it.
At that moment, the sky shattered again.
Sleepy appeared for the second time, snatching Stelle away in a single motion.
"Damn it—March, hurry up and fight!"
As she vanished, Stelle shouted, leaving everyone stunned.
What did she mean by "hurry up and fight"?
Only Jaina seemed to understand.
"…So those who are expelled are restored."
Her mind raced—how could she get everyone expelled?
But Acheron reacted differently. Hearing there was still fighting to be done, she grew furious.
She had tolerated it once. Now they wanted to keep pushing?
Fine.
If she was going to be expelled anyway, she would eliminate everyone first.
"Wait—stop!"
Jaina panicked. If Acheron disappeared too, what would she do?
But she was too late.
Acheron had already drawn her blade. Her hair turned pale as ash.
"Flow… the blade of passing time."
In an instant, the entire hall was engulfed in slashing light.
March 7th, standing closest, was struck first—she didn't even have time to react before being swallowed by the blade.
The others fared no better. Anyone Acheron set her sights on was doomed.
Shatter!
The sky broke apart for the third time.
Sleepy descended again, effortlessly grabbing Acheron and disappearing without a trace.
Silence.
The entire hall was empty, leaving only Jaina standing there in a daze.
"…So she really could take everyone out."
She felt a wave of frustration.
If she was this strong, why didn't she say so earlier?
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